TL;DR
When one co-writer on a song isn't registered with a PRO, or their split isn't filed correctly, royalties for the entire song can be frozen — not just that writer's portion. DAW credit metadata (the "written by" fields in Logic Pro, Ableton, or Pro Tools) does not automatically register anything with ASCAP, BMI, The MLC, or any royalty-paying organization. Manual registration with correct splits is required.
Priya and her co-writer Damon finished a song in March 2023. Priya was registered with ASCAP. Damon was not registered with any PRO — he'd been meaning to sign up but hadn't gotten around to it.
They released through DistroKid. The song got picked up by a Spotify editorial playlist. By end of 2023 it had 2.8 million streams.
Priya's ASCAP statement for 2023 showed $0 for that song.
Not reduced. Zero.
ASCAP couldn't distribute Priya's share of the performance royalties because the ownership data for the song was incomplete. One unregistered co-writer meant the total ownership didn't add up to 100%. The system held everything until the data was complete.
This is the co-writing splits problem. It's the most common reason royalties get frozen for independent artists who do everything else right.
Why DAW Metadata Doesn't Count
When you finish a track in Logic Pro, Ableton, or Pro Tools, you can fill in composer credits, publisher information, ISRC fields, and lyric data. This is extremely useful for your own records. It means nothing to a PRO.
DAW metadata is stored in the audio file and is not transmitted to any royalty organization. No PRO, no collection society, no rights body of any kind reads metadata from .wav, .aiff, .mp3, or .flac files to determine song ownership.
Ownership registration with PROs is a separate, manual process:
- You go to ASCAP's or BMI's work registration portal
- You enter the song title, all co-writer names, each writer's PRO affiliation, and the percentage split for each writer
- The split percentages must add up to exactly 100%
- If a co-writer is not yet affiliated with a PRO, their share is flagged as incomplete or unaffiliated
It doesn't matter what your DAW file says. It doesn't matter what the metadata in the audio file says. It doesn't matter what the liner notes say. The PRO registration is the only record that matters for royalty distribution.
How Co-Writing Splits Are Supposed to Work
A co-written song has two types of ownership to track:
Publishing rights (the composition): Who wrote the melody and lyrics? This is split between co-writers according to their agreement — typically 50/50 for equal contributions, but any percentage split is valid as long as it totals 100%.
Master rights (the recording): Who owns the recording? For independent artists, this is usually whoever paid for the session. This is separate from the writing split and affects different royalty streams (master recording revenue, SoundExchange royalties).
For a song co-written 50/50 between two writers:
- Writer A (ASCAP member): 50% publisher + 50% writer = registered at ASCAP
- Writer B (BMI member): 50% publisher + 50% writer = registered at BMI
- Both PROs work together through their reciprocal systems to collect and pay out their respective shares
This works smoothly — when both writers are registered and the splits are filed correctly at both PROs.
What Goes Wrong
Co-writer is unregistered. If Writer B has no PRO affiliation, their 50% has nowhere to go. Many PRO systems respond to this by holding the entire work pending resolution. You, as Writer A, collect nothing even though your registration is correct.
Splits filed differently at each PRO. Writer A registers 50/50 at ASCAP. Writer B (BMI) registers 60/40, believing they contributed more. The total across both registrations exceeds or conflicts with 100%. The work is flagged for dispute. Royalties are held.
Publisher information is missing or wrong. Even if you're self-published, you need to register a publishing entity for your share. If you register as "Priya Sharma" (writer only) without a corresponding publisher entity, some systems will show incomplete ownership data.
Name inconsistencies between PROs. "Marcus Williams" at ASCAP. "M. Williams" at BMI. Different enough that automated reconciliation systems treat them as potentially different people.
CWR filing errors. For larger catalogs, works are registered in bulk via CWR (Common Works Registration) files. A formatting error or missing field in the CWR file can cause an entire batch of works to fail registration without any notification to the submitter.
The Mechanical Royalty Side of Co-Writing
Co-writing splits affect not just performance royalties but also mechanical royalties at The MLC.
The MLC requires that all co-writer information — including splits — be registered before they can distribute mechanical royalties for a work. If a song has two co-writers and only one is registered with The MLC, the work is flagged as having unresolved ownership data. According to The MLC's 2023 Annual Royalty Recap, ownership data issues are one of the leading causes of the $400M+ in unmatched mechanicals in their system.
The fix is the same: both co-writers need to register with The MLC (or have their information submitted by their publisher), and the split percentages need to be consistent across all registrations.
What You Can Do About It
Step 1: Know your splits before you release. Before uploading to DistroKid or any distributor, have a written agreement with your co-writers about the split. This doesn't need to be a lawyer-drafted contract for most independent releases — a signed email or text message confirming the percentages is better than nothing. Get it in writing.
Step 2: Register both sides of the split at the same time. When you register the work at your PRO, ensure your co-writer registers their share at their PRO at the same time, using the same percentages. Mismatches created by one writer registering before the other are common.
Step 3: Confirm your co-writer's PRO affiliation. Before co-writing with someone, ask which PRO they're affiliated with. If they're not affiliated with any PRO, strongly encourage them to sign up before you release. ASCAP membership registration takes approximately two weeks to activate. BMI is faster.
Step 4: Register at The MLC separately. PRO registration and MLC registration are independent. After completing your PRO registration, go to themlc.com and register the same work with the same co-writer splits.
Step 5: Check your existing catalog. If you have co-written songs already released, check whether they're showing up correctly in your PRO dashboard. A work registered without 100% ownership accounted for is a red flag worth investigating.
What CreateBase Does for Co-Writing Issues
Co-writing splits and metadata reconciliation are among the most common issues we find in independent artist catalogs:
- We audit every registered work against your distributor catalog and identify incomplete split registrations
- We contact co-writers directly (with your permission) to coordinate simultaneous registration and ensure splits are consistent across ASCAP, BMI, and The MLC
- For works with disputed or unknown splits, we research the co-writing relationship and document the agreed split
- We file CWR corrections for any works with split mismatches or incomplete registrations
- We verify that corrected registrations are reflected in actual royalty distributions
Find out which of your co-written songs have frozen royalties → CreateBase delivers a free personalized royalty gap report within 48 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If my co-writer isn't registered with a PRO, do I lose my entire royalty or just their portion?
A: It depends on the PRO and the specific situation. In many cases, an unregistered co-writer causes the entire work to be flagged as having incomplete ownership data — which can result in royalties being held for all writers, not just the unregistered one. The holding period and specific rules vary by PRO. ASCAP and BMI both have mechanisms for registering your share of a work even when a co-writer is unaffiliated, but the unaffiliated writer's share will be held separately.
Q: Does filling in the "written by" field in my DAW register my song with a PRO?
A: No. DAW metadata (the composer fields in Logic Pro, Ableton, Pro Tools, etc.) is stored in the audio file and is not transmitted to any performing rights organization, collection society, or rights body. PRO registration is a separate, manual process conducted on each PRO's website or through an administrator. The ISRC field in some DAWs can be useful for keeping your records, but it also has no effect on actual rights registration.
Q: What's the difference between the songwriter's share and the publisher's share?
A: When a PRO distributes performance royalties for a song, it divides the total into two equal portions: the songwriter's share and the publisher's share. As an independent self-published artist, you're entitled to both — but you need to register as both a songwriter and a publisher with your PRO to receive them. If you register only as a songwriter, you collect 50% of the royalties. Registering a publishing entity (even a simple self-publishing entity like "Your Name Music") lets you collect the other 50%.
Q: My co-writer is at a different PRO than me — how does that work?
A: PROs have reciprocal agreements with each other. If you're at ASCAP and your co-writer is at BMI, each PRO collects and distributes its own member's share of royalties. ASCAP pays your portion; BMI pays your co-writer's portion. For this to work correctly, you need to register your share at ASCAP and your co-writer needs to register their share at BMI, using consistent split percentages in both registrations.
Q: What is a CWR file and why does it matter for co-writing?
A: CWR (Common Works Registration) is an industry-standard file format used to register and update works in bulk with PROs and international CMOs. For catalogs with many co-written songs — or many songs with registration errors — CWR is the most reliable method for making corrections, because it allows precise specification of split percentages, ISRC links, and publisher information in a structured format. Most independent artists don't file CWR directly; it requires technical knowledge and direct relationships with PRO systems. Publishing administrators and services like CreateBase handle CWR submissions.
Sources
- The MLC 2023 Annual Royalty Recap — Ownership data issues as a leading cause of $400M+ in unmatched mechanicals
- ASCAP Work Registration — Work registration portal and documentation
- BMI Work Registration — Work registration and publisher enrollment
- CISAC CWR Standard Documentation — Common Works Registration format specification